Printing machine and printing machine attachment



April 19, 1932 G. H. STAHLER PRINTING'MACHINE AND PRINTING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet glwovntoz A m M 2 FIG 2 rVW April 19, 1932. G. H. STAHLER PRINTTNG MACHINE AND PRINTING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheefi FIG. 54.

Patented A r. 19, 1932 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES GEORGE E. STAHLEB, F CLEVELAND, OHIO PRINTING IACHIN E AND PRINTING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Application filed November 29,, 1927. Serial No. 236,573.

My invention relates generally to improvements in printing machines and particularly to rotary printing machines.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved and simplified printing machine, capable of performing a variety of printing operations, such as direct from type, embossed surfaces, plates, etc., and also planographic or offset printing. Another object is to provide a printing machine capable of capable of doing planographic or olfset printing, in addition to such printing operations as these machines are already capable of do- 1ng.

Another object is to provide a printing machine, capable of doing imitation typewritten-letter printing, through an inked fabric, for example, which machine may be adjusted for doing planographic or oifset printing as well.

Another object is to provide an improved and simplified planographic or offset plate cylinder printing mechanism.

Still another object is to provide an improved device for effectively adapting a rotary type supporting member to serve as the transfer element of a planographic printing mechanism.

Still another object is to provide an improved device for attaching and supporting a rubber blanket or other suitable ofiset surface on a railed printing drum, or the like, adapted in its ordinary use to support individual lines of printing characters, such, for example, as type.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description, relating to the accompanying draw-V ings, which invention. siunmarized in the claimssimple adjustment, will make such machines In the accompanying drawings, Fig. i a right-side elevation of the machine; Fig.

2 is a plan view of the main elements of the planographic printing mechanism; Fig. 3 is an exploded View of three parts of the plate cylinder construction; Fig. 3A is an end elevation of the assembled parts shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 4 is a front View of the machine showing the planographic or offset late cylinder and associated mechanisms,

including the main printing drum, 9. portion of the arrangement which affords'the transfer surface being-broken away to show the preferred construction of such main print-- ing drum, by which the later is also adapted to support individual lines of printing type. As shown in the drawings, 33 represents the main printing drum, this being suitably mounted between side or end plates 35 and 35A, supported and connected by a suitable base 36. The main printing drum may be carried on a shaft 34, which is suitably journalled in the end plates. Beneath the main printing drum is a rotary impression platen or cylinder 41, which, as shown, rotates on a shaft 42. The shaft 42, or the supports therefor, may be of known eccentric construction, for the purpose of raising and lowering the platen into and out ofcontact with the printing drum. The printing drum and platen, as shown, are geared together by suitable gears 37 and 43. Suitable feeding rolls, for ad: vancing paper or other material to be printed on, to and between the printing drum and platen, are shown at 44 and 45. Suitable ejector rolls, to receive the printed copy, and

eject it from the machine, are shown at 46 and 47.

One type of inking device shown comprises mechanism, indicated generally at 48, including an ink fountain (not shown), a ductor roll, adistributor roll and form roll, of substantially the conventional type. This mechariism supplies ink to the printing drum, for performing one variety of printing operation. In this mechanism 48, the ductor roll is shown I at 48A; distributor rolls at 4813, and two form show the preferred form of the (rolls at 49 and 50. It will beunderstood that The essential characteristics are the form rolls 49 and 50 may be supported by suitable eccentric shafts or other known means, (not shown) to permit the form rolls to be moved into and out of operative position with respect to the drum.

The printing drum 33 is adapted to support individual lines of printing characters, such, for example, as individual rows ,of individual type grooved on their opposite sides. For

is purpose, the drum surface supports a series of parallel rails adapted to receive such individual type between them. Some of these rails are shown at 33A, Fig. 4, and are supported on a heavy arcuate shell or body 33B, Fig. 1, extending over approximately half of the circumference ofthe drum.

With such type, suitably locked in place on the drum, printing may be eifected between the drum and platen 41, using either ink supplied by means of the inking mechanism 48,

I through the form rolls 49 and 50, or the ink may be supplied by means of an inking ribbon f extending over the face of the drum and, of course, overlying the printing characters thereon. Such inking ribbon is shown in Fig. 1 at 60, the ends of the ribbon being drawn inwardly over the opposite edges of the arcuate body 33A of the drum and wound on suitable spools or supports, shown at 61 and 62. Obviously, when a ribbon is used, the inking mechanism 48 is rendered inoperative, as by adjustment of the form rolls away from the drum, and when the inking mechanism 48 is used, say to ink printing characters supported on the parallel rails, then the ink ribbon is removed or otherwise rendered inoperative. As much of the arrangement as is above described is usual in the construction of rotary printing machines now in use. My invention is combined with such machines and may be madeand sold either as an attachment for 4 such machines or as a complete printing unit.

As shown in all figures, I provide a planographic or offset plate cylinder 2, which rotates on a suitable shaft 5, the latter being journalled in end plates 1 and 1A. These end plates may be secured to the end plates 35 and 35A of the Inain printing machine. as by suitable bolts 10A, one being shown in Fig. 1. The end plates 1 and 1A may be connected and braced by a tie bar 11.

To drive the plate cylinder 2, the latter may be equipped at one end with-a gear 4:, which, as shown, meshes with the gear 37 of the main printing drum. The plate cylinder 2, likewise the gear 4, are, as shown, about half the diameter ofthe drum 33, and its gear. 37. It follows that the cylinder 2 will make two rotations to one rotation of the main printing drum. The pressure contact surfaces of the drum and plate cylinder will therefore be 50 approximately equal if the contact surface of the cylinder 2 is substantially a complete cylinder and that of the drum 33 substantlally half its own circumference.

Any suitable ancillary mechanism may be used in connection with the plate cylinder 2,

such, for example, as dampening mechanism in case the plate cylinder 2 supports the usual lithographic plate.

The dampening mechanism shown comprises a felt or other suitably covered roll 12, having a suitable axle 12A supported in the end plates 1 and 1A. There is also a suitable buiiing roll 13, preferably of brass or other suitable met-a1 conveniently supported in the end plates. The axle 12A may be carried in downwardly and rearwardly extending slots 14B in the side frame members 1 and 1A, the rearwardly extending portions of the slots receiving and guiding the axle for movement toward and away from the plate roll 2. Pressure may be maintained on the axle 12A by virtue of springs 14A, one being shown in Fig. 1, arranged to press the roller toward the plate cylinder.

To ink the cylinder 2, I have shown a spe--- cial form roller 15 and such number of rollers, 19, as may be necessary to bridge the gap between the form roller 15 and one of the rollers on the inking mechanism, and which will drive the'form roller 15 in the desired direction. I The form roller 15 is partly supported by springs 16A, on the end plates 1 and 1A, which react against a suitable shaft 17 for the form roller 15, tending to move the form roller away from the plate cylinder. The desired contact pressure between the form roller 15 and the plate cylinder may be secured by means of adjusting screws, one of which is shown at 18A, the screws being suitably supported by respective end plates 1 and 1A. Obviously, the inking mechanism may be rendered operative or inoperative to ink the plate cylinder, by manipulating the screws 18A.

In the machine shown, the plate cylinder' 2, as has been previously mentioned, makes two rotations to one rotation of the printing drum 33. Consequently, only one of the rotations of the plate cylinder is necessary to effect a transfer onto the drum, which, when receiving such transfer impression from the plate cylinder, is covered by a suitable transfer blanket. Such blanket will be herein after described. It follows, therefore, that the surface of the plate cylinder will entirely pass the form roller 15 twice for each impression transferred to the drum 33. This, in effect, makes the form roller 15 serve the purpose of two form rollers to ink the plate by successive contact therewith on each printing operation.

It will also be seen that the plate cylinder 2 also passes the dampening roller twice for each impression transferred to the drum. In certain cases, however, it is desirable to have the plate in contact with the dampento respectively engage with one tooth of the gears 22 and 22A at each revolution of the late cylinder, and turn each entire assemly of shaft, gear and oval shaped-rolleronequarter of a revolution. This action causes the high and low points of the ovalshaped rollers to alternately contact with the. hearing rollers. When the high points of the oval shaped rollers engage the beariililg rollro '12 is.

ers 19 and 19A, the ampenin carried 'away from the plate cylinder 2 and, since this occurs on each alternate rotation of the plate cylinder, the plate cylinder is. dampened on one rotation but not on the 7 next succeeding rotation.

To support a lplate, such as the usual zinc or aluminum lit ograph plate, on the cylinder 2, a portion of the cylinder is cut out, as shown in'Fig. 2, and this mutilated section is arranged to receive the ends of such metal plate, these ends extending into the mutilated portion of the roll. Within the roll, as shown in Fig. 2, is, assembled a sxpiared shaft 24, having a suitable number equally spaced pins 25 protruding from one of. its fiat s faces. The squared shaft may,receive one end of the planographic plate by virtue of suit-able openings in the plate fitting over the pins 25, and the opposite end ofthe plate may be similarly fastened to a similar series of pins 26, rigidly carried on the plate cylinder within the recess provided by the mutilated portion.

To place the lanographic plate on the cylinder2, one rst places the openings in one end of the plate over the pins 26; then rotates the cylinder, stretching the plate around it, and then hooks the other end of the plate over the pins 25. Afterwards, the shaft 24 may be turned in the proper direction to stretch the plate tightly around the cylinder. Tohold the plate firmly in place, the ends of the shaft 24 are reduced and threaded at 27 and 27A to enter smooth openings in the respective ends of the cylinder 2. These reduced, threaded end portions carry nuts 28, which may, after the bar 24 is rotated to tighten the plate, be locked against the end walls of the cylinder.

A feature in the Preferred construction of the plate cylinder is shown in Figs. 3 and 3A. Thisconsists in an arrangement which will enable the cylinder to be adjusted into and out of contact with the main printing drum 33, without disturbing the meshing relationship of the gears 4 and 37. As shown, there is an Oldham coupling connection between the gear 4 and the cylinder 2, arranged as follows: a

The cylinder 2 has a pair of diametrically opposite grooves 30, but at right angles to the grooves 29 on the cylinder. Interposed between the gear and cylinder is a plate or ring 3, having a pair of ribs 31 occupying the grooves 29 on the cylinder, and a pair of ribs 32 occupying the grooves 30 in the gear. The two pairs of ribs on the ring are, of course, diametrically opposite each other. To eflect the necessary adjustment of the cylinder toward and away from the drum 33, the shaft 5 has portions journalled in the cylinder which are eccentric to reduced end portions of the shaft, which latter are suitably j ournalled in the end plates 1 and 1A. The gear 4 is concentric with the end portions of the shaft 5, and the gear therefore is in constant relation to the driving gear 37 on the main drum.

For adjusting the position of the cylinder 2, I provide a crank or lever 6,-fixedly secured at one end of the shaft 5, as shown in Fig. 1,

the crank serving as a means for manually ,tur ing the shaft a portion of a rotation. By

able sector 7 is attached to one side of the end plate 1A as by screws, such as 8. As shown in Fig. 1, this sector 7 may be shifted by reason of the sector having an elongated slot 8A embracing the'iscrews 8. By loosening the screw 8, the sector can be moved either way to the extent ofthe elongated slot, thus changing the position of openings 9 on the sector. The adjusting lever has a ball and spring detent, the essential parts of which are indicated at 64 and 65 in Fig. 2, the. ball being selectively located by the operator in the holes 9 on the sector 7 It will be seen that by reason of the eccentric shaft and the adjusting crank or lever, the cylinder 2 may be held sufiiciently away from the printing drum so that direct printing, as by means of type or the like on the drum 33, in cooperation with either the ribbon or the inking mechanism 48, may be effected without having to remove the plate cylinder. The arrangement further allows the machine to be manipulated for its various adjustments without having the cylinders 2 and 33 in contact.

,The preferred arrangement for conditioning the drum 33 to effect offset printing in conjunction with the platecylinder 2, comprises a blanket 52 of rubber or other suitable material, as a covering for the drum 33. The blanket is held firmly around the railed surface of the drum, by means of hooks 54 and 5 4A at one end of the blanket, which hooks engage suitable openings in a' metallic ,buckles 55 and 55A having hooks at their opposite ends to respectively engage the reinforce 53A and the rod 56. In order that the surface of the blanket 52 will be truly cylindrical, notwithstanding the fact that it is wrapped on a drum composed of spaced.

rails for holding type, I provide anunderlay 51 for the blanket, preferably formed of light sheet metal. The underlay may be suitably placed or secured between the rails 33A and the blanket.

It will be seen that by virtue of the arrangement herein described, the blanket and type or the like are interchangeable on the drum in a simple manner, permitting the machine to be used for a variety of direct operations as well as to change from one variety of direct printing to another is a simple matter of using the ink ribbon and the ink mechanism 48 interchangeably as described. A further advantage of my arrangement is that, it is unnecessary to provide a complete inking mechanism for the planographic cylinder because the inking mechanism for inking type or the like on the main printing drum is ideally located to serve for the offset printing as well.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the class described; a design or plate cylinder, a dampening mechanism, means for causing said mechanism to contact with a plate on said cylinder at certain revolutions of said cylinder, an impression cylinder, and a main printing drum or cylinder disposed between said plate cylinder and impression cylinder, said main printing cylinder adapted to hold either forms for direct printingor an oflset surface for lithographic or offset printing.

2. In a machine of the class described; a design or plate cylinder, an impression cylinder, a main printing drum or cylinder disposed between said plate cylinder and impression cylinder, said main printing cylinder having a series of parallel rails adapted to loosely carry between them parallel rows of individual type grooved on their opposite sides, a rubber blanket or other suitable offset surface, and a means for securing said offset surface onto or over the face of said main printing cylinder.

3. In a machine of the class described; a design or plate cylinder, an impression cylinder, a main printing drum or cylinder disposed between said plate cylinder and impression cylinder, and an inked fabric or other suitable transfer material adapted to pass between said main printing cylinder and impression cylinder.

4. In a-machine of the class described; a. design or plate cylinder, an impression cylinder, a mainprinting drum or cylinder disposed between said plate cylinder and impression cylinder, an inked fabric or other suitable transfer material, and means for holding said transfer material stretched around the face of said main printing cylinder.

5. In a machine of the class described; a design or plate cylinder, an impression cylinder, a main printing drum or cylinder disposed between said plate cylinder and impression cylinder,'an inked fabric or other suitable transfer material, means for holding said transfer material stretched around the face of said main printing cylinder, and a means for automatically winding said transfer material from one spool to the other.

6. In a machine of the class described, a planographic cylinder, an impression platen and a rotary printing member operatively disposed between the planographic cylinder and platen, said printing member being adapted to support individually held lines of printing characters, for direct impression printing, independently of the planographic cylinder, interchangeably with a transfer member for oifset printing, in cooperation with the planographic cylinder.

7. In a machine of the class described, a planographic cylinder, an impression platen, a rotary printing member operatively disposed between the planographic cylinder and the impression cylinder, said printing member having a plurality of projecting members on its surface, a yielding transfer blanket I and means for removably holding the blanket on the printing member over the projections, there being a non-yielding device. interposed between the blanket and projections, for maintaining a substantially smooth surface on the yielding blanket.

8. In a machine of the class described, a planographic cylinder, an impression laten, a rotary printing member operative y disposed between the planographic cylinder and platen, said printing member having a plurality of spaced ribs adapted to support printing lines, for direct printing, a yielding blanket adapted to transfer an impression from the planographic cylinder to a medium supported by the platen, and means for removably holding the blanket on the printing member, in overlying relation to the ribs, there being a non-yielding device interposed between the blanket and said ribs, for maintaining a substantially uniform, impression receiving and transferring surface on the yielding blanket.

r 9. In a machine of the class described, a planographic cylinder, an impression platen and a rotary printing member operatively disposed between said cylinder and platen, said printing member having means adapted to support individually held lines of printing characters for direct impression printing, independently of the planographic cylinder, interchangeably with a transfer member for offset printing in cooperation with the planographic cylinder, and a common inking mechanism for said planographic cylinder and such printing characters.

10. In a machine of the class described, a planographic' cylinder, a main rotary member adapted to support a transfer element for use in conjunction with said cylinder for offset printing, interchangeably with direct printing elements such as type, a platen, in cooperative relation to said main rotary member, and paper feeding and discharge means arranged to guide paper to, between and past the said rotary member and platen, along a substantially straight path.

11. In a machine of the class described, a planographic cylinder, a rotary member adapted to support a transfer element for use in conjunction with said cylinder for offset printing, interchangeably with direct printing elements, such as type, a platen cylinder disposed below the said rotary member, paper-feeding means arranged adjacent the bite of the rotary member and platen, on one side of the printing contact line. and paperdischarge means adjacent the bite of the rotary member and platen, on the opposite side of such printing line.

12. In a machine of the class described, a planograph c plate supporting cylinder, a rotary transfer member arranged to receive an impression from theplanographic cylinder,

means arranged to ink the planographic cylinder on each rotation thereof, and periodically acting means arranged to dampen thesurface'of the planographic cylinder on each alternate rotation thereof.

13. In a machine of the class described. a planographic cylinder, a rotary transfer member and platen cooperating therewith to effect offset printing, a dampening roll associated with the planographic cylinder, means to support the roll for movement toward and away from the cylinder and an adjusting device including a cam arranged to be turned to an activeposition on predetermined rotations of the cylinder, and means on the dampening roll arranged to be acted on by the cam to hold the roll separated from the cylinderwherebvthe cylinder will be dampened only on predetermined rotations of the cylinder. 14. In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a planographic cylinder, an

impression platen, and interchangeable dijrect-printing and transfer members, each adapted to coact with the same platen, said 15. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, an impression platen mounted in the frame, a planographic cylinder mounted in the frame, ashaft mounted in the frame, all of the elements so mounted having parallel axes, and means for carrying around said shaft and in cooperation with said platen a transfer surface or a device for holding individually changeable printing lines.

' 16. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, a planographic cylinder carried by the frame, a rotary platen carried by the frame, a rotary shaftcarriedby the frame, a pair of disc-like members of the shaft to constitute a skeleton drum, and means for mounting on said drum either an elastic surface adapted to coact with the planographic cylinder, and platen, or a set of longitudinal holders for individual printing lines.

17. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame having two end plates, a planographic cylinder carried by the upper part of the frame, a rotary platen carried by the lower part of the frame, a rotary shaft mounted in the end plates, a pair of disc-like members on the shaft between the end plates of the frame to constitute'a skeleton drum, and means for mounting on said drum either an elastic surface adapted to co-- act with the planographic cylinder and platen, or a set of longitudinal holders for individual printing lines.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

GEORGE H. STAHLER.

direct-printing member having means for independently carrying individual printing lines. 

